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Important Points

Protect local decisions

The proposed constitutional amendment is a direct attack on the ability of Florida's citizens to make and keep decisions in the hands of their community leaders.
We must keep decision-making where it belongs - at home, with you and your local community leaders.
There is nothing more important than the quality of life that our residents expect and demand.
Protect your ability to decide how your community grows. Keep your voice in the decisions that affect you and your neighbors. These decisions can range from whether your community should purchase environmentally sensitive land for future generations, build a new ballpark, pave new roads, or invest in the local economy.
Without the ability to make local decisions, our communities will be forced to turn to Tallahassee and compete against one another for funding and authority. We should keep that authority at home and allow our citizens and their local leaders to make the decisions that are the best for their unique community.

The vote:

Voters are being asked to make a critical decision on January 29, 2008 that could profoundly undermine local decision-making ability in every county across the state.
The proposed constitutional amendment changes the way property taxes are levied. If the amendment passes, it could hinder your ability to influence decisions affecting your community.
Local citizens could find themselves stripped of local control, shifting that authority to Tallahassee. We must keep local decision-making ability in your hands and in the hands of local leaders you have elected because they shop in your grocery stores, visit your local ballparks, walk down your local streets, and hear your concerns.

County services:

Counties provide crucial services such as public safety, infrastructure, justice, and emergency services.
In addition, citizens look to counties to provide services that add to the quality of life in Florida's communities. For example, counties provide their citizens with public transportation, parks, libraries, community health care, affordable housing, animal services, and economic development.
The needs for these services are as unique as the 67 counties in Florida. A one-size-fits-all mandate from Tallahassee may work for one community while hindering the success of another.
Local decisions about these services should be kept in your hands.

Mandates:

Not only will the constitutional amendment silence the voice of your community, but it will also limit your county's ability to meet mounting financial challenges.
Mandates are one of these increasing challenges. State and federal mandates now add $1 billion to counties' fiscal burdens.
In recent years, state and federal leaders have mandated that counties pay for increasing shares of budgets for programs or fund them outright.
Mandates imposed on counties include voter regulations, labor requirements, and increasing costs from Medicaid, juvenile justice programs, and health care for the uninsured.
Growth is another compounding challenge your local community must face.
Growth demands services.
More than 1,000 people move to Florida each day.
The continued growth experienced throughout the state puts pressure on your county to accommodate new residents with expanded programs and services.
These are decisions that have to be made at the local level in a timely manner, not by people in Tallahassee.

Where the Florida Association of Counties stands:

The Florida Association of Counties supports a fair and equitable property tax structure.
The FAC believes local officials who know the unique needs of their communities should make taxing decisions - not the state.
The FAC recommends implementing a 10% property tax cap on nonhomesteaded properties. This will help business owners and others who have been hardest hit by tax increases.
The FAC also supports the $25,000 exemption on tangible personal property passed by the Legislature.